Comparative Study of High-resolution Microimaging with 30-MHz Scanner for Evaluating Cardiac Function in Mice

Background: The accurate assessment of cardiac function in mice is challenging because of their small heart size and rapid heart rate.

Methods: We examined the usefulness of novel high-resolution echocardiography (HRE) with a 30-MHz transducer in evaluating cardiac function in 20 mice compared with conventional echocardiography (CE) with a 13-MHz transducer. The left ventricular (LV) regional wall motion (RWM), LV end-diastolic dimension, fractional shortening, anterior LV wall thickness, E/A, and myocardial performance index were assessed.

Results: RWM analysis was more feasible by HRE than by CE (P < .05). Interobserver agreement in RWM analysis and correlation in LV end-diastolic dimension, fractional shortening, anterior LV wall thickness, E/A, and myocardial performance index were all better with HRE than CE.

Conclusions: HRE is superior to CE in assessing LV function in mice. HRE is potentially a useful method for accurate assessment of cardiac function in various mice models.